Showing results by publisher "Recorded Books" in Epic

1868. The Boshin War is about to break out. A 16-year-old Japanese girl, Atsuko grew up in the neighborhoods of Aizu City, in the shadow of her brother Ibuka. Promised to an arranged marriage, the young girl hides a secret: she wields weapons just as well as her brother, whose talent with the sword actually masks an insurmountable fear of combat. When war is declared, Ibuka must leave to fight alongside their father for the honor of the family. Defying the tradition forbidding women to take part in battles and wanting to protect her brother, Atsuko enlists in secret as a simple soldier.

Two months have passed since Ahilya and Iravan learned the devastating truths behind the earthrages. As the cosmic creatures struggle to break into the world, and Nakshar’s architecture disintegrates, the desperate council summons their sister ashrams to a Conclave, to discuss the future of life in the skies. Ahilya, now a councillor, is determined to share the truth about the cosmic beings and the nature of Ecstatic trajection so she can liberate ordinary citizens and save the condemned architects. Her conviction has alienated her allies and created dangerous enemies.

When young Jamie Chase is kidnapped by his father and made the victim of a radical cult, his desperate mother, whose resources have run out, is aided by a fun-loving and hard-driving elf to get him back

After a brutal war between the gods, Hessa—High Priestess of the Eangen—has brokered a fragile alliance between warring tribes and bought peace to her home. But a new threat is growing in the remnants of the once-great Arpa Empire. Three factions are vying to take the throne, the vast well of raw magical power only accessible to the Emperor. Hessa knows she cannot let this chance pass by—she must intervene, to protect her peoples’ hard-won future. With the peace she has sacrificed so much for at stake, Hessa must lead an army of Algatt and Eangen warriors into the heart of enemy territory.

A near-fatal car accident transports Talia to Tiera, a kingdom full of magic, wonder, and people who insist Talia is their long lost Keeper—a master of elemental magic. Talia’s sure they have it all wrong; she grew up on Earth shuffled from home to home through the foster care system. The only constant in her life was a mysterious woman named Polo who kept an eye on her from afar and who taught her to fight for those who cannot defend themselves. Plagued with visions of disaster, Talia must master her newfound magic and uncover her mysterious origins as an evil rises up in Tiera.

Masks, the first novel in a mesmerizing new fantasy series, draws readers into a world in which cataclysmic events have left the Autarchy of Aygrima - the one land blessed with magical resources - cut off from its former trading partners across the waters, not knowing if any of those distant peoples still live. Yet under the rule of the Autarch, Aygrima survives. And thanks to the creation of the Masks and the vigilance of the Autarch’s Watchers, no one can threaten the security of the empire.

The Celestial Church has all but eliminated the old pagan ways, ruling the people with an iron hand. Demonic gheists terrorize the land, hunted by the warriors of the Inquisition, yet it's the battling factions within the Church and age-old hatreds between north and south that tear the land apart. Malcolm Blakley, hero of the Reaver War, seeks to end the conflict between men, yet it will fall to his son, Ian, and the huntress Gwen Adair to stop the killing before it tears the land apart.

Hyam is a likeable lad who will make a fine farmer someday. But he carries a burden few can fathom. As his mother slips toward death, she implores him to return to Long Hall, where he spent five years as an apprentice. It was there that Hyam's extraordinary capacity for mastering languages came to light - and soon cast him into the shadows of suspicion. How could any human learn the forbidden tongues with such ease?

Rising from their sea-torn ships like vengeful, pale phantoms, the Norlanders laid waste to the Shadar under cover of darkness. They forced the once-peaceful fisher folk into slavery and forged an alliance with their former trading partners, the desert-dwelling Nomas tribe, cutting off any hope of salvation. Now, two decades after the invasion, a rebellion gathers strength in the dark corridors of the city. A small faction of Shadari have hired the Mongrel, an infamous mercenary, to aid their fledgling uprising - but with her own shadowy ties to the region, she is a frighteningly volatile ally.

For centuries, the Kingdom of Eledore has relied upon the kainen race's natural magical talents to retain its elevated and seemingly impervious status in the world, particularly above the humans in Acrasia. Plots and assassination attempts grow against the royal twin heirs, Nels and Suvi, as the Acrasians seem to be doing more than saber rattling against what they see as an evil, tyrannical nation.

Thray is the Last Daughter of Winter, half immortal and haunted by the legacy of her blood. When offered a chance to visit the northern land of Duamel, where her father once ruled, she can't refuse—even if it means lying to the priesthood she serves and the man she loves. In Duamel, Thray's demi-god siblings rule under the northern lights, worshipped by arcane cults. An endless winter night cloaks the land, giving rise to strange beasts, terrible storms and a growing, desperate hunger.

Captains Hawk and Fisher, the only honest cops in Haven, are up to their ears in the usual Haven business when a messenger from a far away land finds them and reveals their real identities and mission - bring a killer to justice and ascend to the throne.

Jamethiel Knorth, Priest’s Bane and Dream-Weaver, has returned victorious from Tai-tastigon, but trouble dogs the Kencyrath. There is intrigue among the Highborn. The Randir and his allies want the larger houses to decide for all nine, which would strip the Highlordship from the Knorth. At Omiroth, a senile king struggles against his venal son-in-law—but if neither of these can rule, the next in line is a mother-dominated child.

The worst has happened. The Conclave has crashed into the jungle, and humanity builds one last city, clinging to survival in the ruins. Forced into a deadly alliance with the Virohi, Ahilya alone can communicate with the cosmic creatures – but she is growing weaker with every encounter. Equally revered and feared by her council, Ahilya desperately tries to balance the needs of her people with the untameable desires of the trapped Virohi.

Get ready for the explosive sequel to the “action-packed, electrifying fantasy” (Good Morning America) The Last One by New York Times bestselling author Rachel Howzell Hall!

Keith Winterscar has accomplished the impossible—he's stolen a godsdamned Feather. After barely surviving the underground temple with his sister and father to repair To'Wrathh's shell, the crew returns to Clan Altosk as heroes. With his father's soul now inhabiting To'Avalis's body, the powers of To'Wrathh herself, and the occult secrets Keith has steadily uncovered—the Winterscars are poised to change everything. But other powers have begun watching the meteoric rise of Clan Altosk.

Yske, daughter of the legendary warrior priestess Hessa, has dedicated her life to medicine and pacifism in service to Aita, the Great Healer. When her twin brother Berin, hungry for glory, gathers a party to investigate rumours of strange sightings in the Unmade—shadows in the darkness at the end of the world—Yske joins the mission, to keep him safe. Their journey east takes them through primal forests, walking paths last trod when gods were at war and ancient, powerful beasts were defeated and bound.

Nothing is certain in Araxes. Not even death. Stolen from the widow's clutches, master thief and ghost Caltro Basalt must learn new ways to survive the cutthroat society of the Arctian Empire. His one hope for freedom and justice? A gift from the dead gods, who continue to beg for a saviour.

Twice upon a time, Prince Rupert and Princess Julia saved the Forest Kingdom. They have earned the right to live happily ever after. But there' s a blue moon on the rise... Hawk and Fisher, famous for their years of keeping the peace in Haven, are really quite happy being legends. They gave up the hero business when they decided they'd grown too old for it. Now they run the Hero Academy, training young hopefuls to be heroes. Legends never die, but it seems they cannot retire, either.

Thrown into a desolate land of sickness and unnatural beasts, Kai wakes in the woods with no idea who she is or how she got there. All she knows is that if she cannot reach the Sea of Devour, even this hellscape will get worse. But when she sees the village blacksmith fight invaders with unspeakable skill, she decides to accept his offer of help. Too bad he’s as skilled at annoying her as he is at fighting. As she searches for answers, Kai only finds more questions, especially regarding the blacksmith who can ignite her body like a flame, then douse it with ice in the next breath.